Part 23

Observing that he looked on my jewels with pleasure, and viewed the most remarkable among them one after another, I fell prostrate at his feet, and took the liberty to say to him, Sir, not only my person is at your majesty’s service, but the cargo of the float, and I would beg of you to dispose of it as your own. He answered me with a smile, Sindbad, I will take care not to covet any thing of yours, nor take any thing from you that God has given you; far from lessening your wealth, I design to augment it, and will not let you go out of my dominions without marks of my liberality. All the answer I returned, was prayers for the prosperity of that prince, and commendations of his generosity and bounty. He charged one of his officers to take care of me, and ordered people to serve me at his own charge. The officer was very faithful in the execution of his orders, and caused all the goods to be carried to the lodgings provided for me.

I went every day, at a set hour, to make my court to the king, and spent the rest of my time in seeing the city, and what was most worthy of notice.

The isle of Serendib is situated just under the equinoctial line; [43] so that the days and nights there are always of twelve hours each, and the island is eighty parasangs [44] in length, and as many in breadth.

The capital city stands in the end of a fine valley, formed by a mountain in the middle of the island, which is the highest in the world. [45] It is seen three days sail off at sea. There are rubies and several sorts of minerals in it, and all the rocks are for the most part emery, a metalline stone made use of to cut and smooth other precious stones. There grow all sorts of rare plants and trees, especially cedars and cocoa-trees. There is also a pearl fishery in the mouth of its river, and in some of its valleys there are found diamonds. I made, by way of devotion, a pilgrimage to the place where Adam was confined after his banishment from paradise, and had the curiosity to go to the top of it.

When I came back to the city, I prayed the king to allow me to return to my country, which he granted me in the most obliging and most honourable manner. He would needs force a rich present upon me; and when I went to take my leave of him, he gave me one much more considerable, and at the same time charged me with a letter for the commander of the faithful, our sovereign, saying to me, I pray you give this present from me, and this letter, to Caliph Haroun Alraschid, and assure him of my friendship. I took the present and letter in a very respectful manner, and promised his majesty punctually to execute the commission with which he was pleased to honour me. Before I embarked, this prince sent for the captain and the merchants who were to go with me, and ordered them to treat me with all possible respect.

The letter from the king of Serendib was written on the skin of a certain animal, of great value, because of its being so scarce, and of a yellowish colour. [46] The characters of the letters were of azure, and the contents as follows:

‘The king of the Indies, before whom march a hundred elephants, who lives in a palace that shines with a hundred thousand rubies, and who has in his treasury twenty thousand crowns, enriched with diamonds, to Caliph Haroun Alraschid:

‘Though the present we send you be inconsiderable, receive it however as a brother and a friend, in consideration of the hearty friendship which we bear for you, and of which we are willing to give you proof. We desire the same part in your friendship, considering that we believe it to be our merit being of the same dignity with yourself. We conjure you this in quality of a brother. Adieu.’

The present consisted, first, of one single ruby [47] made into a cup, about half a foot high, an inch thick, and filled with round pearls of half a dram each. Second, the skin of a serpent, whose scales were as large as an ordinary piece of gold, and had the virtue to preserve from sickness those who lay upon it. [48] Third, fifty thousand drams of the best wood of aloes, with thirty grains of camphire as big as pistachios. And fourth, a she slave of ravishing beauty, whose apparel was all covered over with jewels.

The ship set sail, and after a very long and successful navigation, we landed at Balsora; from thence I went to Bagdad, where the first thing I did was to acquit myself of my commission. Scheherazade stopt because day appeared, and next night proceeded thus:

EIGHTY-EIGHTH NIGHT.

I took the king of Serendib’s letter, continued Sindbad, and went to present myself at the gate of the commander of the faithful, followed by the beautiful slave, and such of my own family as carried the presents. I gave an account of the reason of my coming, and was immediately conducted to the throne of the caliph. I made my reverence by prostration, and after a short speech, gave him the letter and present. When he had read what the king of Serendib wrote to him, he asked me if that prince was really so rich and potent as he had said in his letter? I prostrated myself a second time, and rising again, Commander of the faithful, said I, I can assure your majesty he doth not exceed the truth on that head. I am witness of it. There is nothing more capable of raising a man’s admiration than the magnificence of his palace. When the prince appears in public, he has a throne fixed on the back of an elephant, and marches betwixt two ranks of his ministers, favourites, and other people of his court; before him, upon the same elephant, an officer carries a golden lance in his hand; and behind the throne there is another, who stands upright, with a column of gold, on the top of which there is an emerald half a foot long, and an inch thick; before him march a guard of a thousand men, clad in cloth of gold and silk, and mounted on elephants richly caparisoned.

While the king is on his march, the officer who is before him on the same elephant, cries, from time to time, with a loud voice, Behold the great monarch, the potent and redoubtable sultan of the Indies, whose palace is covered with a hundred thousand rubies, and who possesses twenty thousand crowns of diamonds. Behold the crowned monarch greater than the great Solima [49] and the great Mihrage. [50] After he had pronounced those words, the officer behind the throne cries in his turn, This monarch, so great and so powerful, must die, must die, must die. And the officer before replies, Praise be to him who lives for ever.

Farther, the king of Serendib is so just, that there are no judges in his dominions. His people have no need of them. They understand and observe justice exactly of themselves.

The caliph was much pleased with my discourse. The wisdom of that king, said he, appears in his letter, and after what you tell me, I must confess, that his wisdom is worthy of his people, and his people deserve so wise a prince. Having spoken thus, he dismissed me, and sent me home with a rich present.

Sindbad left off speaking, and his company retired, Hindbad having first received a hundred sequins; and next day they returned to hear the relation of his seventh and last voyage, as follows:

The seventh and last Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor.

Being returned from my sixth voyage, I absolutely laid aside all thoughts of travelling any farther; for, beside that my years now required rest, I was resolved no more to expose myself to such risk as I had run; so that I thought of nothing but to pass the rest of my days in quiet. One day as I was treating a parcel of my friends, one of my servants came, and told me, that an officer of the caliph asked for me. I rose from the table and went to him. The caliph, said he, has sent me to tell you, that he must speak with you. I followed the officer to the palace, where being presented to the caliph, I saluted him, by prostrating myself at his feet. Sindbad, said he to me, I stand in need of you; you must do me the service to carry my answer and present to the king of Serendib. It is but just I should return his civility.

This command of the caliph to me was like a clap of thunder. Commander of the faithful, replied I, I am ready to do whatever your majesty shall think fit to command me; but I beseech you most humbly to consider what I have undergone. I have also made a vow never to go out of Bagdad. Hence, I took occasion to give him a large and particular account of all my adventures, which he had the patience to hear out.

As soon as I had finished, I confess, said he, that the things you tell me are very extraordinary, yet you must, for my sake, undertake this voyage which I propose to you. You have nothing to do but to go to the isle of Serendib, and deliver the commission which I give you. After that you are at liberty to return. But you must go; for you know it would be indecent, and not suitable to my dignity, to be indebted to the king of that island. Perceiving that the caliph insisted upon it, I submitted, and told him that I was willing to obey. He was very well pleased at it, and ordered me a thousand sequins for the charge of my journey.

I prepared for my departure in a few days, and as soon as the caliph’s letter and present were delivered to me, I went to Balsora, where I embarked, and had a very happy voyage. I arrived at the isle of Serendib, where I acquainted the king’s ministers with my commission, and prayed them to get me speedy audience. They did so, and I was conducted to the palace in an honourable manner, where I saluted the king by prostration, according to custom. That prince knew me immediately, and testified very great joy to see me. O Sindbad, said he, you are welcome; I swear to you I have many times thought of you since you went hence; I bless the day upon which we see one another once more. I made my compliment to him, and after having thanked him for his kindness to me, I delivered the caliph’s letter and present, which he received with all imaginable satisfaction.

The caliph’s present was a complete set of cloth of gold, valued at one thousand sequins; fifty robes of rich stuff, a hundred other of white cloth, the finest of Cairo, Suez, Cusa, [51] and Alexandria; [52] a royal crimson bed, and a second of another fashion; a vessel of agate broader than deep, an inch thick, and half a foot wide, the bottom of which represented in bas-relief a man with one knee on the ground, who held a bow and an arrow, ready to let fly at a lion. He sent him also a rich table, which, according to tradition, belonged to the great Solomon. The caliph’s letter was as follows:

‘Greeting in the name of the sovereign guide of the right way, to the potent and happy sultan, from Abdallah Haroun Alraschid, whom God hath set in the place of honour, after his ancestors of happy memory:

‘We received your letter with joy, and send you this from the council of our port; the garden of superior wits. We hope, when you look upon it, you will find our good intention, and be pleased with it. Adieu.’

The king of Serendib was highly pleased that the caliph answered his friendship. A little time after this audience, I solicited leave to depart, and had much difficulty to obtain it. I obtained it however at last, and the king, when he dismissed me, made me a very considerable present. I embarked immediately to return to Bagdad, but had not the good fortune to arrive there as I hoped. God ordered it otherwise.

Three or four days after my departure, we were attacked by corsairs, who easily seized upon our ship, because it was no vessel of force. Some of the crew offered resistance, which cost them their lives. But for me and the rest, who were not so imprudent, the corsairs saved us, on purpose to make slaves of us.

Day beginning to appear, Scheherazade was obliged to keep silence, but next night resumed the story thus:

EIGHTY-NINTH NIGHT.

Sir, said she to the sultan of the Indies, Sindbad continuing his story, told the company, We were all stripped, and instead of our own clothes, they gave us sorry rags, and carried us into a remote island, where they sold us.

I fell into the hands of a rich merchant, who, as soon as he bought me, carried me to his house, treated me well, and clad me handsomely for a slave. Some days after, not knowing who I was, he asked me if I understood any trade? I answered, that I was no mechanic, but a merchant, and that the corsairs who sold me, robbed me of all I had. But tell me, replied he, can you shoot with a bow? I answered, that the bow was one of my exercises in my youth, and I had not yet forgot it. Then he gave me a bow and arrows, and taking me behind him upon an elephant, carried me to a vast forest some leagues from the town. We went a great way into the forest, and when he thought fit to stop, he bid me alight; then showing me a great tree, Climb up that tree, said he, and shoot at the elephants as you see them pass by, for there is a prodigious number of them in this forest, and if any of them fall, come and give me notice of it. Having spoken thus, he left me victuals, and returned to the town, and I continued upon the tree all night.

I saw no elephant during that time, but next morning, as soon as the sun was up, I saw a great number: I shot several arrows among them, and at last one of the elephants fell; the rest retired immediately, and left me at liberty to go and acquaint my patron with my booty. When I had told him the news, he gave me a good meal, commended my dexterity, and caressed me highly. We went afterwards together to the forest, where we dug a hole for the elephant; my patron designing to return when it was rotten, and to take his teeth, &c. to trade with.

I continued this game for two months, and killed an elephant every day, getting sometimes upon one tree, and sometimes upon another. One morning, as I looked for the elephants, I perceived with an extreme amazement, that, instead of passing by me across the forest as usual, they stopped, and came to me with a horrible noise, in such a number that the earth was covered with them, and shook under them. They encompassed the tree where I was, with their trunks extended, and their eyes all fixed upon me. At this frightful spectacle I continued immoveable, and was so much frightened, that my bow and arrows fell out of my hand.

My fears were not in vain; for after the elephants had stared upon me some time, one of the largest of them put his trunk round the foot of the tree, and pulled so strong, that he plucked it up, and threw it on the ground; I fell with the tree, and the elephant taking me up with his trunk, laid me on his back, where I sat more like one dead than alive, with my quiver on my shoulder: he put himself at the head of the rest, who followed him in troops, and carried me to a place where he laid me down on the ground, and retired with all his companions. Conceive, if you can, the condition I was in: I thought myself to be in a dream; at last, after having lain some time, and seeing the elephants gone, I got up, and found I was upon a long and broad hill, covered all over with the bones and teeth of elephants. I confess to you that this object furnished me with abundance of reflections. I admired the instinct of those animals; I doubted not but that was their burying-place, and that they carried me thither on purpose to tell me that I should forbear to persecute them, since I did it only for their teeth. I did not stay on the hill, but turned towards the city, and, after having travelled a day and a night, I came to my patron; I met no elephant in my way, which made me think they had retired farther into the forest, to leave me at liberty to come back to the hill without any obstacle.

As soon as my patron saw me; Ah, poor Sindbad, said he, I was in great trouble to know what had become of you. I have been at the forest, where I found a tree newly pulled up, and a bow and arrows on the ground, and after having sought for you in vain, I despaired of ever seeing you more. Pray, tell me what befell you, and by what good hap thou art still alive. I satisfied his curiosity, and going both of us next morning to the hill, he found to his great joy that what I had told him was true. We loaded the elephant upon which we came with as many teeth as he could carry; and when we were returned, Brother, said my patron, for I will treat you no more as my slave, after having made such a discovery as will enrich me, God bless you with all happiness and prosperity. I declare before him that I give you your liberty. I concealed from you what I am now going to tell you.

The elephants of our forest have every year killed us a great many slaves, whom we sent to seek ivory. For all the cautions we could give them, those crafty animals killed them one time or other. God has delivered you from their fury, and has bestowed that favour upon you only. It is a sign that he loves you, and has use for your service in the world. You have procured me incredible gain. We could not have ivory formerly, but by exposing the lives of our slaves, and now our whole city is enriched by your means. Do not think I pretend to have rewarded you by giving you your liberty; I will also give you considerable riches. I would engage all our city to contribute towards making your fortune, but I will have the glory of doing it myself.

To this obliging discourse I replied, Patron, God preserve you. Your giving me my liberty is enough to discharge what you owe me, and I desire no other reward for the service I had the good fortune to do to you and your city, but leave to return to my own country. Very well, said he, the monsoon [53] will in a little time bring ships for ivory. I will send you home then, and give you wherewith to bear your charges. I thanked him again for my liberty, and his good intentions towards me. I staid with him, expecting the monsoon; and during that time, we made so many journeys to the hill, that we filled all our warehouses with ivory. The other merchants, who traded in it, did the same thing, for it could not be long concealed from them. At these words Scheherazade, perceiving day, broke off.

NINETIETH NIGHT. [54]

Sir, said she to the sultan of the Indies, Sindbad went on with his seventh voyage thus:

The ships arrived at last, and my patron himself having made choice of the ship wherein I was to embark, he loaded half of it with ivory on my account, he laid in provisions in abundance for my passage, and besides obliged me to accept a present of the curiosities of the country of great value. After I had returned him a thousand thanks for all his favours, I went aboard. We set sail, and as the adventure which procured me this liberty was very extraordinary, I had it continually in my thoughts.

We stopped at some islands to take in fresh provisions. Our vessel being come to a port on the main land in the Indies, we touched there, and not being willing to venture by sea to Balsora, I landed my proportion of the ivory, resolving to proceed on my journey by land. I made vast sums of my ivory, I bought several rarities, which I intended for presents, and when my equipage was got ready, I set out in company of a large caravan of merchants. I was a long time on the way, and suffered very much; but endured all with patience, when I considered that I had nothing to fear from the seas, from pirates, from serpents, nor of the other perils I had undergone.

All these fatigues ended at last, and I came safe to Bagdad. I went immediately to wait upon the caliph, and gave him an account of my embassy. That prince told me he had been uneasy, by reason I was so long in returning, but that he always hoped God would preserve me. When I told him of the adventure of the elephants, he seemed to be much surprised at it, and would never have given any credit to it had he not known my sincerity. He reckoned this story, and the other relations I had given him, to be so curious, that he ordered one of his secretaries to write them in characters of gold, and lay them up in his treasury. I retired very well satisfied with the honours I received, and the presents which he gave me; and after that I gave myself up wholly to my family, kindred, and friends.

Sindbad here finished the relation of his seventh and last voyage, and then, addressing himself to Hindbad, Well, friend, said he, did you ever hear of any person that suffered so much as I have done, or of any mortal that has gone through so many perplexities? Is it not reasonable that, after all this, I should enjoy a quiet and pleasant life? As he said this, Hindbad drew near to him, and kissing his hand, said, I must acknowledge, sir, you have gone through terrible dangers; my troubles are not comparable to yours: if they afflict me for a time, I comfort myself with the thoughts of the profit I get by them. You not only deserve a quiet life, but are worthy besides of all the riches you enjoy, because you make such a good and generous use of them. May you therefore continue to live in happiness and joy, till the day of your death. Sindbad gave him a hundred sequins more, received him into the number of his friends, and desired him to quit his porter’s employment, and come and dine every day with him, that he might all his days have reason to remember Sindbad the sailor.

The three Apples.

The Caliph Haroun Alraschid one day commanded the grand vizier Giafar, to come to his palace the night following. Vizier, said he, I will take a walk around the town, to inform myself what people say, and particularly how they are pleased with my officers of justice. If there be any against whom they have reason of just complaint, we will turn them out, and put others in their stead who shall officiate better. If, on the contrary, there be any that have gained their applause, we will have that esteem for them which they deserve. The grand vizier being come to the palace at the hour appointed, the caliph, he, and Mesrour, the chief of the eunuchs, disguised themselves so that they could not be known, and went out all three together.

They passed through several places, and by several markets; and as they entered a small street, they perceived, by the light of the moon, a tall man, with a white beard, who carried nets on his head, and a club in his hand. The old man, said the caliph, does not seem to be rich; let us go to him, and inquire into his circumstances. Honest man, said the vizier, who art thou? The old man replied, Sir, I am a fisher, but one of the poorest and most miserable of the trade; I went from my house about noon to go a fishing, and from that time to this I have not been able to catch one fish; and at the same time I have a wife and small children, and nothing to maintain them.

The caliph, moved with compassion, said to the fisherman, Hast thou the courage to go back and cast thy net once more? We will give thee a hundred sequins for what thou shalt bring up. At this proposal, the fisherman, forgetting all his day’s toil, took the caliph at his word; and with him, Giafar and Mesrour, returned to the Tigris; he saying to himself: These gentlemen seem to be too honest and reasonable not to reward my pains; and if they give me the hundredth part of what they promise me, it will be a great deal.